Providing Hope and Healing for Individuals Battling Cancer since 2004

It is a fingerprint, pressed into place by a Special Guest, and it is the

perfect symbol for Cherished Friends of Ahava. It is our hope, and our

goal, that each Special Guest will be touched by our outreach program.

We already know that each Special Guest touches us, and each of them

leaves an imprint on our hearts.

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It started with an idea. Katie Morgan-Lousky had started to serve many clients who were battling cancer. She wanted a special space to help support and serve her clients in a new way. Katie's idea formed into a plan with the help of her husband, Ted, who had lost his sister to cancer. Many of her friends, family, and clients believed in Katie's vision and encouraged the dream to become a reality. She wanted to name her spa after a word that embodied her vision. Ahava is a Hebrew word that means “Cherished One,” so Ahava Spa and Wellness was born on 34 S. St Clair St. in Toledo, Ohio in 2003.

A non-profit 501c3 (Cherished Friends of Ahava) was created to help support Katie and Ted’s dream of serving people with cancer by offering a free full-day spa experience. The Special Guest Program manifested from those dreams and allowed individuals battling cancer to have a day to focus on themselves not their cancer. Before the Cherished Friends of Ahava board was formed and started fundraising, Katie and Ted used their own monies to finance the program. Cherished Friends of Ahava created 3 Signature Events to help fund the program: Charmed and Cherished Wine-Tasting and Silent Auction in the Spring, the Golf FORE Hope Event in the Summer, and the Miracle on Saint Clair Raffle in the Winter.

Although we lost Ted in 2007, Katie and The Cherished Friends of Ahava Board has carried on the vision and served over 1200 Special Guests. It is our goal to focus on cherishing the whole person. Katie and her staff at Ahava Spa and Wellness Center are helping us meet those goals, one Special Guest at a time. We hope to cherish our Special Guests as we would our family and friends. They touch our hearts with their courage.